Written for Wurf from LiveJournal.

Hisahide x Oichi, as requested :)

HOPE YOU LIKE IT! *hugs*

"Oichi-sama! Oichi-sama!"

The requested female glanced over her shoulder, her hair whipping out in front of her face. She urged her horse into a gallop and straightened in her saddle so that her hair was blown out of her eyes. She closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment.

It was the third time this month that she had tried to escape from Owari and get away from her older brother. This time her reason for fleeing was the fact that he was trying to arrange her marriage to the lord of Oumi – she'd met him, and he wasn't a bad man but Ichi... Ichi didn't want to marry someone she had only just met. That and the only thing the young man had been able to do was gape at her, as if he had never seen a woman before in his life.

'Ichi wants to do what Ichi wants to. Not what nii-sama wants Ichi to do,' she tightened her grip on the reins, 'Ichi is tired of nii-sama's sins being Ichi's sins.'

"Oichi-sama, please come back to Owari! Oichi-sama!" the soldiers were relentless in their pursuit of her. She shook her head from side-to-side and spoke to no one.

"Ichi doesn't want to go back..." tears began to well up in her eyes, "Ichi never wants to go back..."

A shot rang out from behind her and her horse screamed in pain. It's front legs buckled and it collapsed. Ichi was launched out of the saddle and landed soundly on her stomach several feet away from her fallen horse. Despite the ache in her thighs and arms she struggled to her feet, intent on continuing her escape – though without her horse, she wouldn't get very far.

"Oichi-sama!" the soldiers called after her still. Ichi kept running, her trailing skirt bouncing out behind her.

'Ichi won't give up. Ichi will... Ichi will get away! Ichi must...' she stumbled and nearly fell, her legs shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

There was a whistle off to the left and Ichi stopped running after she noticed that the sound of hoof beats had ceased. She turned around to see what the soldiers had stopped for; they were looking at someone in the trees.

"It appears as though milady doesn't wish to go back with you," Ichi's eyes sought out the man in the trees; he had the most interesting voice. She heard the sounds of porcelain being tapped lightly together.

"And, who might you be, my lord?" one soldier asked; the others had their rifles at the ready. Ichi had finally spotted the man in the trees.

"Matsunaga Hisahide. And if my information is correct, that is Oda Oichi, is it not?" he turned his head in her direction, and Ichi blinked at him, then quickly nodded her head.

'He knows who Ichi is...' he had turned his head back to the soldiers, to stare down at them, 'Ichi thinks he must be a powerful man.'

"You're aware that you're in my territory, right?"

"Ah – ah, we apologize deeply, my lord! If you would let us take Oichi-sama back to Owari with us...?"

Ichi's eyes widened and she stared at the man, silently begging him not to let them take her back. When his gaze turned to her she started shaking her head.

'Matsunaga-sama, don't let them take Ichi back, please don't let them take Ichi back. Ichi doesn't want to go back.'

He released a sigh and held a pretty teapot out in front of him. It had a phoenix flaming around the belly.

"She really doesn't look like she wants to go back with you. I suppose I'll let you go but... you should have some tea first," he tossed down the teapot and one soldier caught it. Ichi watched as Hisahide dropped down from the tree skillfully and walked out to stand in front of the group. His body was turned towards her but he was looking at the soldiers, one hand behind his back and the other by his side.

"My lord, the only thing inside this pot is this strange black powder."

"Precisely," Hisahide smirked, snapping his fingers. Ichi's eyes widened when she caught a small flame darting from Hisahide's fingers to the spout of the teapot. He began a slow walk toward her while the soldiers behind him screamed in horror as the teapot exploded, sending body parts soaring through the air. Ichi clenched her hands tightly together.

'The black powder... must have been... gun powder...' Hisahide stopped his approach next to Ichi's struggling horse. He knelt down next to it, resting a black gloved hand on its neck. The horse whinnied weakly.

"Such a powerful animal brought down by a single bullet. Milady, I can have this horse treated for you, if you'd like."

"... Matsunaga-sama seems like a kind man, but Ichi thinks he hides a sinister villain. Is Ichi right?"

His lips curled up into a sly smile, "that wouldn't be an incorrect assumption, but it wouldn't be correct either."

"So Ichi is... Ichi is half right?"

"Only half," he stood, and gestured to the trees with his hand. A group of shinobi, all dressed in black, emerged from the trees and set about lifting Ichi's horse. They scurried away with the huge animal on a makeshift stretcher. Hisahide extended his white gloved hand to Oichi, tucking his other arm behind his back.

"Come, milady."

Ichi let her arms fall lifelessly to her sides as she walked towards him, entranced by his manner of speech. She raised her arms as if to embrace him, coiling them around his neck as she walked flush against him. Hisahide rested his hand against her head and caressed her hair, slowly moving his hand down to the back of her neck.

"Hai, Ichi will come."

"Good girl," he whispered, guiding her into the trees. They walked for a long while at a leisurely pace – obviously he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere and so Ichi felt that she should comply with the slow walk.

'But Ichi cannot stop being afraid that more of nii-sama's men will come searching for Ichi,' behind them she heard a branch snap and she tensed, her body instinctively moving closer to Hisahide. He wrapped his arm around her waist in response.

"What is it, Kotaro?"

A shinobi appeared in front of them. He didn't speak at all, his hair a flaming red color and his armor all black and white. Ichi stared at him in surprise, then looked at Hisahide. He nodded at the shinobi.

"Kill them all. I expect nothing less than utter annihilation."

Kotaro – as Ichi had heard Hisahide refer to him as – nodded his head sharply then departed in a flurry of wind.

"Who did Kotaro-sama find, Matsunaga-sama?"

If he found it strange that she called the shinobi 'Kotaro-sama' he didn't show it, "some unfortunate soldiers from your brother's army. Don't worry, Kotaro will make sure they sleep forever."

Ichi nodded her head at him, deciding to trust in the shinobi's skill. Hisahide continued to guide Ichi through the forest. Except for her question, they didn't exchange any words; Ichi was content with this. She wasn't a talkative woman.

When they exited the woods Ichi looked up to see a group of shinobi. She straightened from leaning against Hisahide, though he kept his arm around her waist. Upon seeing them the group scattered, one man approaching them.

"My lord, we have little to report. Shall we go help Kotaro?"

"If by help you mean clean up his mess, then yes."

"Very good, my lord," the man departed in the same fashion as Kotaro. Ichi stared at where he had been.

"Never seen a shinobi before?" Hisahide asked her. Ichi shook her head, bewildered.

'Matsunaga-sama has a lot of shinobi under his command. Matsunaga-sama must be very influential,' she looked up at him in awe. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What is it, milady?"

"Ichi was just thinking that Matsunaga-sama is a very amazing man."

He chuckled, "were you now?"

"Yes," she breathed. He smiled and led her towards a winding stairway. When they reached the top the sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon. Ichi marveled at the sight that met her eyes. There was a large Buddha statue in the center of a stone platform with stairs leading up to it. The statue was missing half its face, while the hand that it had raised was missing four fingers. There were several wooden pillars standing around.

Hisahide pulled her along, away from the statue and towards a hidden staircase in the trees to the right.

"So tell me, milady, why is it that you don't want to go back to Owari?"

"Ichi… Ichi is tired of doing what nii-sama wants Ichi to do. Ichi wants to do what Ichi wants to…"

"Hm…"

"Matsunaga-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Ichi would prefer it if Matsunaga-sama called Ichi by her name."

"As you wish, Ichi."

She smiled at him, noticing that his eyes widened briefly.

'Perhaps Matsunaga-sama is not used to having someone smile at him?' she wondered. They continued on their way up the hidden stairwell. Once at the top Ichi saw a house standing on its lonesome, but as they drew closer to it she could make out other buildings behind it. She was sure one of those buildings was an onsen; she wasn't sure of the others.

Hisahide led her into the house she had first seen. After she walked through the door she gasped and quickly left his side, marveling at all the antique swords and armor she saw. There were a few other items as well, like teapots, cups, plates and bowls. She refrained from touching anything, despite her wish to.

She came to a pair of katanas. The hilts of the katanas were black, with white triangles painted the length of the hilts. At the top of the sheaths was gold-plating, and the embroidery on the sheaths resembled that of cherry blossoms. She couldn't resist trailing her fingers over the stitching, her mouth dropping open in a small 'o'.

It was then that she felt a heat against her back; she straightened immediately only to press herself against Hisahide's chest.

"Do you like them?" he asked, his lips next to her ear. She shuddered.

"H-hai…"

He reached around her, his hands wrapping around the sheath and hilt of the top blade. He pulled the katana out, revealing rippling silver metal. It was a beautifully crafted weapon.

He pulled the katana fully out of its sheath, and held it in front of Ichi. She wrapped one dainty hand around it, just above his and after a moment of hesitation she wrapped her other hand around the very bottom of the hilt.

Ichi admired how the blade shimmered in the orange light of the sun. Hisahide had left the door to the room they were in open. Out of the corner of her eye Ichi could see that the sun was continuing its slow descent past the horizon. She swallowed lightly and released the hilt of the katana, lowering her hands back down to her sides.

In a swift movement Hisahide sliced a nearby bowl in half. Ichi gasped as one half fell to the floor and shattered into several pieces. She dropped to her knees, eyes wide.

'It's all Ichi's fault! If Ichi hadn't been interested in the katana this bowl wouldn't be broken!' she reached for a piece of porcelain, intent on cleaning up the mess. She would have continued if Hisahide hadn't grabbed her roughly by her bicep and jerked her up. Ichi stared at him, terrified.

"I-Ichi is s-sorry Ichi will-!" the sword clattered to the ground and Hisahide covered her mouth with his now free hand. He backed her against the wall, pinning her arm over her head. She stared wide-eyed at him, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. The sun was hitting his left eye at a peculiar angle; the light made his eye appear a deep sea blue.

"The fact that I decided to break that bowl has nothing to do with you," he breathed, "you are not at fault for something I decided to do myself."

He slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth. She blinked at him and decided that she should nod her head to show that she understood. He grinned toothily at her and released her arm, placing his hand on her head.

"Good girl. Come," he took her hand and pulled her out of the room. Ichi glanced at the katana on the floor but thought better of mentioning it to him.

'Matsunaga-sama doesn't care that that pretty katana is on the floor… Ichi… Ichi feels sad that Matsunaga-sama doesn't care… Ichi…' her head swung around in a circle. She felt the familiar sensation of a hand crushing her stomach come over her. Her power didn't like that Hisahide didn't care about the katana either. Ichi tried to get a hold of herself and pulled away from Hisahide as her head became very light.

He looked back at her in confusion. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

'Ichi… Ichi…' she pushed weakly at his chest. This only served to make him grasp her shoulders with both his hands, his brow furrowed.

"Matsunaga-sama should… get away from… Ichi… Ichi is… Ichi is…" she never finished her sentence before she fainted.

"… mm… huh?" Ichi opened her eyes slowly. She looked around to find that she was in a dimly lit room and not outside. When she tried to move her arms and legs they felt stiff and wouldn't move at all. Confused, she looked down and found that she was bound by thick ropes. Remembering what had happened she gasped and quickly looked around for Hisahide. She couldn't see him anywhere.

'Did Ichi… did Ichi kill him? Ichi – what if Ichi – what if -!' there was the sound of a door opening; Ichi snapped her head in the direction of the sound. A wave of relief swept over her; Hisahide was entering the room.

"Matsunaga-sama!" she cried, struggling against her binds. She was happy to see; happy to know that she hadn't killed him when she fainted. He looked at her, startled.

"You woke up," there was a tray in his hands. After he sat down next to her he set the tray on the floor. It had two ceramic cups on it. He set his hand against her cheek, smirking.

"How are you feeling?" Ichi blinked at him and opened her mouth to answer him when she noticed a thin line of dark red running down the left side of his face. She stared at it, eyes slowly widening. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Hisahide quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Now what?"

"Ichi… Ichi injured Matsunaga-sama…" she lowered her head in an attempt to hide her tears, "gomenasai, gomenasai!"

He chuckled darkly, placing his other hand against her cheek and forced her to look at him. A few tears escaped out of her eyes. He pulled her closer, pressing his lips to one eye, then the other.

"You did try to warn me, Ichi. I just didn't listen. It's nothing serious."

"B-but Ichi –"

"Hush," he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "why is it that you think that everything is your fault?"

"Because that's what nii-sama told Ichi. Nii-sama's sins are Ichi's sins… that's what nii-sama said, so it must be true," she explained, hiccuping.

"So if the world exploded tomorrow, would that be your fault?"

Ichi blinked at him. The answer was obvious to her; "yes, it would be Ichi's fault. Everything bad that happens is Ichi's fault."

"Everything?" Hisahide laughed, his hands dropping to her shoulders, "you have nothing to do with the world exploding, so it can't be your fault."

"But nii-sama said -"

"Your brother isn't right about every damn thing that happens. He's just putting the blame on you because you accept it. If I started blaming you for every bad thing that happened, you would accept it, and then you'll be telling everyone that 'Matsunaga-sama said it was Ichi's fault, so it must be'. That's a bit odd, don't you think?"

Ichi tried to argue with him but whenever she opened her mouth to talk he also opened his mouth. After a few minutes of this repeated process, Ichi scowled at him. He laughed.

"So you are capable of making more then just a gloomy expression!"

"… Matsunaga-sama, you are mean to Ichi," she chided, looking away from him. He smiled at her.

'Maybe Matsunaga-sama is teasing Ichi? No, no he couldn't be teasing Ichi…' she faced him again and noticed that he had let his hair down. She stared, surprised that she hadn't noticed sooner; he looked very handsome with his hair down. She struggled against her bounds again. She wanted to touch his hair.

"… what are you staring at?" he asked, glancing at her. Was she making him nervous? She struggled more.

"Matsunaga-sama, Ichi wants to know if you would untie her?"

"If I would untie you?" he leaned towards her, "what if you attack me again, hm?" his nose pressed against her neck. Ichi tried to move away from him instinctively, but he prevented her from doing so by slipping his hand into her hair. His nose continued to skim her neck.

"Onegai, Matsunaga-sama," she pleaded softly, "please untie Ichi."

Hisahide pulled roughly on her hair, compelling her to whimper. She felt him smile against her neck, his warm breath making her shiver. She muttered mindlessly, shaking her shoulders. When the ropes suddenly came loose, she quickly thrust her hands into his hair. His breath was steady against her neck.

'Matsunaga-sama... has a nice smell...' she sifted her nose through his hair, closing her eyes. He smelled like the forest; like tree bark. Ichi found herself quickly beginning to like this smell – his smell.

He moved closer to her, his hand dropping from her hair to her waist. Ichi made short strokes with her fingers through his hair. It was very quiet in the room; Ichi could hardly hear his breathing.

'Ichi's heart is loud though... but what... what is Ichi doing!' her fingers twitched and she straightened, pulling her hands out of his hair and pressing them to his shoulders instead. She felt his lips twitch downwards and his hand dropped away from her waist. Ichi glanced at the tray on the floor; the tea was probably lukewarm by now.

She suddenly found herself lying against the paneled wood floor. Her breath caught in her throat. Hisahide was over her, his hair obscuring his eyes. Ichi gazed at him, wide-eyed. His mouth was turned down in a most vulnerable way, making him look desperate and needy. Ichi blinked.

"Why did you stop?" he asked softly. Ichi blushed lightly, 'Ichi hadn't realized that Matsunaga-sama liked what Ichi was doing...'

She outstretched her arms to him.

"Ichi is sorry. If Matsunaga-sama will rest against Ichi, Ichi will continue."

He obliged, his head settling against her neck and shoulder once more. She turned her face towards him, her fingers slowly combing through his hair. Eventually his breathing became very even. Ichi found herself smiling.

'Matsunaga-sama is... sleeping... Ichi... Ichi is tired too...' she let herself relax, her fingers going slack against Hisahide's head.

Hours later a shadow fell over Ichi. Hisahide's weight was still against her, so she knew that it had to be someone else. She forced her eyes to open.

Kotaro's mouth opened slightly, but he covered it with his hand. Ichi watched him as he leaned down, nodded his head sharply, then collected the tray that was on the floor and left the room. Ichi closed her eyes again.

When she awoke again she found that Hisahide was no longer on top of her. She sat up, blinking, and looked around the room. The candles had burnt out but there was a pale blue light filtering through the cracks in the walls. After her first look around the room Ichi rubbed her eyes, 'Ichi's vision is too blurry...'

Once her vision had cleared up, she looked around the room again, this time spotting a dark figure near the sliding door. She squinted, a smile touching her lips when it became clear that he was Hisahide.

"... you brought out a strange side of me last night, Ichi."

She sat up straighter, her smile fading, "I-Ichi did. Ichi is sorry."

She heard the sound of cloth rustling and looked up to see Hisahide towering above her. He crouched down to her level, a dangerous smirk on his lips.

"Why is it that you apologize for everything?"

"Ichi finds comfort in apologizing. Ichi is... sorry if Matsunaga-sama finds this irritating," she squeaked quietly when Hisahide grabbed her jaw roughly in his hand.

"I do find it quite irritating," he tilted his head to the side while Ichi stared at him in fear, "oh don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Ichi's stomach clenched; her heart pounded, "M-Matsunaga-sama..."

He crushed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes out of instinct, not even daring to breathe. She had been kissed, but never in such a hungry way.

He released her chin, his hand slipping to the back of her head. In return to having her lips pressed more forcibly to his, she pawed at his chest, one of her hands sliding up to grasp loosely at his strong neck. He must have rested his knees on the ground, as he gripped her shoulder with his other hand.

Hisahide pulled back, tightening his hold on her hair. Ichi opened her eyes to look at him. She blinked rapidly when he breathed out, his breath flitting over her face. He released her after minutes of staring, and rose to his feet.

"Stop apologizing for everything like it was all your fault. Be selfish and put the blame on others once in a while," he told her, turning around.

"Ichi is s- Ichi will try."

"Good girl," and though Ichi couldn't see his face she could hear the smile in his voice. She stared longingly at his back. She had always wanted to hear those kinds of words; words of encouragement. She closed her eyes.

'Ichi... Ichi wants... Matsunaga-sama to praise Ichi...'

She summoned her dark hands and before he could open the door several of the hands tangled around him. He tensed as the hands turned him back around to face her. She swayed into a standing position and glided towards him. Her power bound him tightly, holding him against the door. She gingerly placed her hands on his cheeks.

Ichi pushed up onto her toes and touched her lips tenderly to his. He did nothing to resist her timid advance. Her hands slid down to his chest and she pressed her lips harder against his. He pursed his lips against hers.

Ichi set her feet back on the floor, her hands returning to his face. She gazed into his eyes.

"Ichi thinks that Ichi is falling in love... that is... Matsunaga-sama's fault."

"Good girl," he praised her, tapping his forehead to hers.